England test captain Joe Root stated that it is not the end of the road for James Anderson and Stuart Broad as the duo has been dropped for the 3-match test series in West Indies.
The duo has a combined tally of 1177 Test wickets to their names but England decided to drop them under the new coaching set-up. Notable that Paul Collingwood has been given the duties of head coach for the West Indies tour.
However captain Joe Root stressed that they wanted to give youngsters some responsibility in the series but Anderson and Broad will be in the mix for the home season.
“I want other bowlers to step into that void and enjoy that challenge”- Joe Root
“The fact they’re not there means there are different roles others have to fill. They’ve taken the new ball for such a long time in English cricket, they’ve been leaders of the attack, had a lot of success and deserve a huge amount of respect for it. But this is an opportunity for other guys to step into that space and become leaders as well,” Root said.
“Over time, [Woakes] has not played a huge amount of cricket away from home in the recent past. He’s constantly been our first-change bowler or second-change bowler, he’s not had the opportunity to bowl with the new ball away from home,” he added.
Root further added that the likes of Mark Wood who made a big impression in the Ashes might enjoy the responsibility on his shoulders. In the Ashes, Wood picked 17 wickets in 4 matches with an average of 26.64.
“Other guys can step up as well. Mark Wood had a fantastic tour of Australia, he bowled with heart, great passion, speed, endurance, being able to do it for long periods of time. It’s a chance for him to grow and develop as a player as well. And really, I want those guys step into that void and enjoy that challenge, and enjoy becoming more senior within the group,” he stated.
Root also said that he spoke to Anderson and Broad and not surprisingly they are very angry, especially Broad who spoke publicly about that. But he stated that the doors are still open for them
“I’ve spoken both to Stuart and Jimmy and they’re obviously disappointed, angry, and Stuart, in particular, has voiced that quite publicly. You’d expect that. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for both of them.
“It’s been made very clear: no-one is saying this is the end for them. It would be great to see Stuart and Jimmy very much in the mix at the start of the summer as well,” Root said.
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